[Postmortem diagnosis of exogenous insulin administration].

Toxicological analyses are presented in connection with the decrease of a 51-year-old female medical practitioner. The woman was found dead in a woodland about 250 metres far from her motor car. According to her relatives the woman had expressed her intention to commit suicide. Two single use syringes, two empty (300 units) cartridges intermediate type human insulin, and one empty ampoule of 10 mg diazepam were found near the corpse. The toxicological analyses of the heart-blood resulted in 210 ng diazepam/ml, 382 mu units/ml insulin and 0.58 ng/ml C-peptide. After extraction of a tissue sample from the injection area (cubital region) 113 milliunits insulin could be detected by radioimmunoassay. The insulin concentration in relation to the C-peptide concentration in the blood of the corpse indicated an exogenous supply of insulin. The HbA1c and fructosamine data in the blood and the histological examination of the pancreas showed that the woman had not suffered from diabetes.